John Dryden Bt (abt. 1580 - bef. 1658)

Born about 1580 in Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Priscilla (Quarles) Dryden — married 8 Oct 1605 in Romford, Essex, England

Husband of Honora (Bevill) Dryden — married 3 Jul 1632 in Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire, , England

Descendants

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Biography

Sir John Dryden, 2nd Bt. was the son of Sir Erasmus Dryden, 1st Bt. and Frances Wilkes. He married, firstly, Priscilla Quarles, daughter of James Quarles and Joanne Dalton. He married, secondly, Anna Parvis, daughter of Henry Parvis. He married, thirdly, Honor Bevill, daughter of Sir Robert Bevill, on 3 July 1632. He died before 11 November 1658.^[1]

Property

WALDESHEF or BEVILLE MANOR

Thomas was succeeded by William Beville, who died in 1487, and left a request in his will to be buried in the church of St. Michael of Chesterton 'before the altar of our Blessed Lady Seynt Mary the Virgin.' (fn. 23) He left two sons, William, who died childless in 1504; and Robert, who made a settlement of the manor on himself and Elizabeth his wife in 1513 and died in 1517. (fn. 24) William his son was a minor, and after he reached his majority obtained the greater part of Chesterton, including Beville's Manor. (fn. 25) He died in 1553 (fn. 26) and was succeeded by his son Robert (d. 1602); (fn. 27) grandson, Sir Robert Beville, K.B. (d. 1634), (fn. 28) and great-grandson, Sir Robert Beville, K.B. (fn. 29) The last named died in 1640 leaving no surviving children, and the manor was divided between John Hewett, son of his eldest sister Katharine; Thomas Elmes, son of his second sister Grace; and Honor, his youngest sister, the wife of Sir John Dryden, bart. (fn. 30) In 1647, Elmes sold his third part of Beville's manor to Sir John Dryden, (fn. 31) and thus two parts of the manor came into possession of the Dryden family.^[2]

• (K.B. = Knight, Order of the Bath)

Preston Capes

The manor of Little Preston, from the Montacute family, descended to the St Clere’s and their descendants. In 1526 Thomas Chiprey of Northampton, sold a moiety of it to Sir Andrew Windsor, [later Lord Windsor]. In 1561, Peter Coles died, who had obtained ownership of the moiety from Edmund Forde of Harting, Sussex. Mary, granddaughter of Peter Coles brought it in marriage to Edward Knightley, who in turn purchased the manor of great Preston from Mr Butler.

Mary then married Sir Robert Bevill after the death of Edward Knightley, whose son – called Richard Knightley, sold it onto Sir Robert Bevill for £1000. In 1640, on the death of Sir Robert, it was divided between his 3 sisters and coheiresses. In 1701 Sir Henry Dryden possessed 2 parts of the estate, one of which descended lineally to him from Sir John Dryden, husband of Honor, one of the sisters of Sir Robert.^[3][4]

Beville Monument

At the east end of the north aisle is a stone monument to Beville. It consists of two semicircular arches grouped under a frieze and cornice supported on two Composite columns and surmounted by a shield enclosed with Elizabethan strapwork, and two smaller shields. Under the arches, kneeling figures of two men with their wives, and below, two groups each of eight children. There is neither date nor inscription, but the heraldry clearly shows it to be to Robert Beville and his wife Joan, daughter of William Lawrence, of St. Ives (d. 1602 and 1574 respectively), and to their son Sir Robert Beville and his wife Maria Coles (d. 1634 and 1611). At the east end of the south aisle is a white marble monument with a large inscription panel between Corinthian pilasters surmounted by a curved pediment, and with shield of arms, and inscribed for John Dryden, arm. (second son of John Dryden, of Canons Ashby, bart., and Honor dau. and coheir of Robert Beville, K.B.), who died unmarried 3 Non. of January 1707, aged 72. Erected by his nephew and heir Robert Pigott, arm. Above the chancel arch is a hatchment for Elmes.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ BP2003 volume 1, page 1183 [[1]]
2. ↑ 'Parishes: Chesterton', in A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 3, ed. William Page, Granville Proby and S Inskip Ladds (London, 1936), pp. 139-144 [2]
3. ↑ History, topography, and directory of Northamptonshire, by Francis Whellan and co [3]
4. ↑ ‘Preston Capes Through the Ages’ by Mrs H Gardner [4]
5. ↑ 'Parishes: Chesterton', in A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 3, ed. William Page, Granville Proby and S Inskip Ladds (London, 1936), pp. 139-144 [5]

• Wikipedia page
• 1650 Feoffment by Sir John Driden to Edward Gibbs, Edward Farmer, William Bury and Rev. John Cave of same[6]
• 1650 Feoffment by Sir John Driden to Richard Knightley, Edward Farmer & William Bury of 2/3 of manor of Chesterton[7]